Abstract

Ultrashort transients of variable duration have been generated at 10.6 μm by operating a fast optical switch with picosecond pulses from a mode‐locked Nd : glass laser. The switch, which takes advantage of the large free‐carrier contribution to the infrared optical susceptibility in Ge, has been used to generate megawattt picosecond pulses at 10.6 μm by synchronous operation of a TEA CO2 laser with the 1.06 μm source.